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Louis - Please check out the following innovative printer that can clone itself and could improve itself with an AI interface. Very unique design of a 3D printer. ruclips.net/video/Ek_7tBOCcAI/видео.htmlsi=FIhp499c-sQ51Gls There is a lot of ingenuity going into that design.
The worthless unnecessary sensor is the problem. If it wasn't there there would be no problem. Always been there with cars since 1995. They have just made it worse by not protecting these sensors. They should be robust but to save a penny it's now your problem sucker. When this should ALWAYS be the manufacturer's problem. They didn't save you a penny they profited the penny.
Louis, have you heard of Edison Motors? They're a "diesel electric hybrid" tractor truck OEM and they may be peak your interest as a pro right to repair vehicle manufacturer. Their target market is heavy duty Vocational trucks like logging, mining, snow plows, ect. They have a RUclips channel cataloging their build process up to this point and its absolutely fascinating. I'd love to see what you have to say about them 😁
What's crazy to me about this whole thing, is that he mentions that the customer didn't even really care that it was over $5K to fix what should normally be a simple repair, but was more concerned that it just wasn't fixed when he called. Customers like this are part of the reason these companies can keep getting away with this crap.
The customer just wanted his car fixed. The dealer couldn't figure it out. So he would be looking at spending 70k+ on a replacement truck if he wanted all the features (features that coincidentally caused his problems). When the dealer can't fix your 5 year old vehicle, you are really worried. He must have been thrilled when a 3rd party figured it out, regardless of the cost.
@@leandrolaporta2196 if a small car can fit your lifestyle then consider a Toyota ECHO the line itself has been discontinued along time ago but I have very rarely ran into any issues with them because I’ve had 2 of them off and on in the last 3-8 years give or take.
Yeah they place so many modules and actuators in what should be simple so that is a race to who can out blind each other. Also, yeah they love to embed those super expensive distance sensors as when you have a simple crack and want to replace a tail lamp it is now over a thousand dollars (not including manufacturer recommended expensive calibration for ADAS - though for this case it is not needed). Now the individual might live with the crack but what happens is that an insurance company is forced to replace it as it is not just a crack but a safety item so they will shy away from giving an appearance allowance. People might think "yeah F the insurance company" but what happens is that it makes car insurance far more expensive so it isn't the car insurance companies that get f'ed it is all of us.
@@johnhermann762Found the Trump supporter. "Bidenomics" lmao. Why on earth do you think Biden has the power to change the economy of the entire world this much?
What really sucks is that cars used to have more repairability legally mandated. Like there were a total of two headlights legally approved. So you could buy the one you have basically anywhere and install it. Compare to the modern headlight housings. And the massive, easier to break, proprietary headlight fixtures that you can’t just change the bulb in is 100% a price gouging, anti-repair thing.
There really should be legally mandated limits on what manufacturers can charge for replacement parts. You really think it cost Ford $5000 for each of those tail lights when they install them on the assembly line? That $50k car ends up being a $500k car if you order replacements for all the parts. But of course, that's the point. "Don't get a replacement transmission for $8k. Just buy a new car!"
Half the reason why mechanics are in such high demand nowadays is because those who spent even 10-20 years in the field just don't want to repair these poorly engineered modern cars. It has nothing to do with more maintainanence, electronics, or people not wanting to work. It's the fact that what was an easy 20-30 minute repair on cars from the 90s and early 2000s is now a 3-4 hour repair because they've engineered it poorly to encourage people to just get the warranty from the dealer & call it a day. Longer repair times means more charges in labor to the customer at non-dealer shops. It's a huge scam and a lot of car mechanics have finally had enough of it. Isn't late stage capitalism just grand?
I was calling this out years ago when car manufacturers were coming out with the custom tail lights with LEDs. They weren't a standard lens with a standard LED bulb socketed in... These are full array LED systems so if they have any issues you have to replace the entire tail light compartment to fix it. No longer can you just head to the auto parts store and just grab a cheap $5 light bulb to plug in.
@@JorisRobijn But then again, why do we have to throw away a perfectly good housing, just because some LEDs failed? Replacing the defective LEDs like lightbulbs is the only right way to go.
I have been watching Fordtechmakuloco ever since I bought my 2009 F150. When I watched the video you just mentioned I was floored by the insane cost the customer had to pay because of what came down to a simple water leak. Newer cars are insanely easy to break anymore simply because of the data exchange between modules. It is like a wise man once said "the more you mess with the plumbing, the easier it is to plug the drain". On a side note the customer didn't care the cost he just wanted his truck back. Must be nice to have money to burn.
I love my 2011 F150 and do a lot of my maintenance because FordTech showed me how. 130k miles on it and runs perfectly. Has a computer on it but hopefully I won’t have to mortgage my house if it goes bad. I’ll drive it till I die rather than buy a ridiculously overpriced piece of garbage new one.
I bet you $100 that the truck was flooded! I buy from Copart, and flooded trucks are my gravy! Customer did care since insurance check was in the mail or even managed to buy back his own vehicle.
As someone who calibrates the ADAS systems (Obstacle Detection, AdaptiveCruise, etc) for colision repair, I can confidently say their thought process is if something fails you take it to a dealership or OEM certified repair shop so they get more money.
The original model T was designed to run only 10,000 miles before an overhaul of the engine was required. I have restored 2 Model T's. One of which I used an original engine and rebuilt with original parts and I can easily defend this figure of 10,000 miles. I learned from a biography of Henry Ford that he was upset at one point that customers were picking parts from scrap yards and putting them on their cars to repair them. He asked his engineers to redesign specific parts to fail sooner, but also permanently. So that people could not buy used parts for a pittance and keep their vehicles running. So began the battle between manufacturer that must design their product to fail or be perpetually replaced and the consumer who would rather pay more for a product built to last and of higher quality.
Seems to have been a prevailing and open business model back in the day. Watching some documentaries on Gillette, it's the same story. How can we make a product that actually does solve a need, but do so in a way that forces customers to be locked into constant maintenance through you. Basically subscription services were always the Holy Grail. The difference now is that most of this stuff doesn't solve any real problems and only creates new ones by owning it.
Water getting into the tail lights used to be fixed with drilling a drain hole and or sealing the edges with RTV silicone and a new bulb (remember light bulbs?). Or if you really wanted you would just get a new one. I hate new cars and I used to be a mechanic
And this is why i like old cars so much, i could be missing the entire back half of the vehicle and as long as i still have fuel and the drivetrain that car will still move and everything, it won't do it well but it will do it. Yet it is a extreme example but you get the point. The more complex you make a system the more little things are able to cripple the entire thing.
@@maxwebster7572 I'm not sure if it was a b17 but there was a instance where a tail gunner flew the severed tail a bit using the gun and alot of luck. If it was made like a moden car it would have dropped like a rock.
“complexity” isn’t necessarily bad- you can have a radio and a subwoofer and all kinds of tech in a car down to a giant computer in the trunk. the real issue is that any of these things are designed to break when anything else unrelated breaks. bad engineering, plain and simple. even in integrating these systems to work better together, segmentation is a 101. ever wonder why you can just pull a usb stick out of a pc without special software?
@@ThirtytwoJ I'm aiming for a Pontiac fiero, they have their flaws but dang they are so modular and durable you can easily make it better than most cars out there.
I’ve been saying this recently. Tail lights used to have replacement bulbs. Modern ones are way over made and in most cases the whole unit needs replacing at a huge cost.
It does exist, Louis. It's called "Failure Mode and Effects Analysis" and automotive industry holds semiconductor industry to this standard, and the employees doing the work are quality-reliability engineers and product engineers. But I guess the final manufacturer of the finished product doesn't hold themselves to the same standards.
They learned from the Pinto fiasco: if you see a potential problem, do not notice it, because if you get sued over it you don't want a papertrail showing that you knew about it.
There's training to explain to employees the types of things that shouldn't be discussed via email and the types of wording to avoid... it's a real thing at many large companies
in aviation and airlines it's called MTBF - Mean Time Between Failures - and FAA will not allow a manufacturer to produce jet engines unless they pass thousands of hours of mtbf
I think there IS at least One person, at the top of Ford, or any other auto maker who is thinking "we want this to be difficult to repair, so they are forced to come to OUR dealers and pay US to repair it". I really do think someone is keeping that in mind when designing these newer vehicles. They want just as much of the "you'll own nothing and like it" world as Apple, or Samsung or the Video game publishers, Appliance makers as Anyone.
cars are becoming like laptops, one thing breaks you must get a new car. Imagine getting in a small accident which is way more likely than a water leak and the whole car stops working because some bs sensors are broken now.
I own 4 Fords and have followed this channel for several years. It is an excellent channel. I did get to watch this video a few weeks ago. IMHO, this falls in the category of integrating many parts to streamline the manufacturing process at the expense of reducing repairability. The manufacturer reduces costs, and the owner will eat it when repairs happen outside the warranty period. Just wait for that GUI screen control to go bad, and you have no redundant buttons as an option...Ahh, the beauty of "Sledgehammer" design and engineering. Instead of replacing a simpler, likely cheaper part, you use a sledgehammer to pull a bigger component that co$t$ more.
I remeber, back in 2008, I had my first car, a Peugeot 206. I replaced my taillights with tunning ones I bought from an unknown site for 150$ equivalent currency 😂. I also installed a subwoofer, replaced the head unit 3 times and replaced speakers in the doors myself and I was 19. Old cars were so easy to work on.
Ohhh, I have some experience with Ford’s genius design. I had to replace the headlight on my 2016 Ford Fusion Energi, a task that - I kid you not - requires taking off the entire front bumper. I do so love taking off at least a dozen clips to replace one of the most common wear items on a car.
Not defending ford or any other automakers but that is not so uncommon to have to do, especially if the bumper is molded around the headlights. But hey at least you did not have to disassemble the rest of the front end!
Seen a VW that the windshield wipers would turn on and the engine would die, when the sun visor was placed in the down position.. video is on youtube somewhere.
With all the modules in modern cars any of them can keep it from starting. The more features, the more modules that can fail and take down the network, especially ones outside the cabin.
I think the truck video also has turn out as a short to ground from corrosion, thus low or dropped signal. It's stupid to have too many things rely on something that can fail that easily and possibly way too easily. (Like if you know how electrical was on some older cars just for lights not working, particularly with connectors as they age - the new ones are going to be hell if they fail similarly but with a crapload of unnecessary system dependency.)
In older cars with water intrusion all you have to do is drill a small hole in the bottom of the lamp to let the water out. Clean up the lamp socket and replace the bulb. Ask me how I know lol. This is precisely why I don't own a vehicle newer than 20 years old. As my grandpa used to say about new cars and new features, "that's just more stuff to break".
Cars should be able to run when a non-critical system fails. As in does the engine run, can you steer, and can you brake? If so, it should run. Not talking to a sensor for a drive assistance feature should not be a reason to disable an entire vehicle.
But how else would they make billions in repairing vehicles? lol What you say makes complete sense, and should be happening. But all that matters to Ford and most car manufacturers is their bottom line. Making the car as cheap as possible to manufacture, and as expensive as possible to repair.
This is why I prefer to own older cars. My neighbor wanted to get rid of his 1998 Dodge Dakota because he just didn't want it anymore and he considered it unreliable. So, he offered to sell it to me for $600 if I could get it out of his backyard. After getting it a new battery, it hesitated at first to start up. But, we got it into our yard so that I could start working on it. It took me a few months to get it to a point where it was reliable again. But, I now use it as a daily driver.
Ford Tek is one of my automotive spirit animals. Neat to see two of my favourite subscriptions from very different focuses. Fortunately for the customer he was able to claim insurance for the water intrusion.
Shouldn’t have to go through insurance for weather but glad they had the option to. Still probably raise premiums though. Either way the consumer was f**** and ford is not gonna see any repercussions for it. So the newer models will probably have the same issue
Hush. Next thing you know Ford will be taking another page from Apple's playbook by installing DRM in their modules so only "Ford authorized repair technicians" can complete the handshake necessary for a swapped sensor to talk with the ECU.
@@JoebDragon The same laws that we keep find having all kinds of loopholes? This latest "win" in, was it Florida? Well what ever... It had an exception for if I remember correctly "computational devices" that were not covered by the new Right to Repair law. Turns out that your computer, telephone, and games console are all computational devices. Want to bet that the car manufacturers will claim that extends to the electronics in your car? After all the brainbox handling everything from engine management to GPS and entertainments system in your car is computerized. Sounds like computational devices to me... They even come with upgradeable software. Now this law is fresh and has not been tested in court yet. But as it is written I have my doubts it will change much of anything.
Ford sued Autel because the AP200 scan tool scans for dtc codes to troubleshoot your car. Apparently think think we need to take our cars to a license Ford technician.
I had a similar issue with my 2004 Volvo S60R. The alarm module is known for having a bad battery. It's the same BUS that is used for the sun roof. I had to replace the alarm module to get my sunroof to close.
I don't think he will because "Luis" will never read this, but Louis might :P Just having fun pointing out the minor typo. At least it was just a typo and you didn't spell it Lewis.
I used to be an automechanic. I knew this was coming about 15 years ago when I had to remove a whole front bumper in order to replace a headlight bulb.
You know who loves this technology crap other than the dealership making money on repairs ? Thieves love it, they plug a computer through the head lights or tail lights and reprogram the main car computer, voila it opens and they drive away with it. The car ends up in Nigeria or some other country.
I encountered a abs warning light on a iveco trakker based truck. For 1,5 years multiple mechanics tried figuring out what was wrong as all the abs stuff was working properly. In the end the dealer was send a tool from the manufacturer to do a full firmware download where they discovered there were 3 computers in series. Computer 1 received a abs error send by number 2, but number 2 tranformed the clutch error to a abs error because they didn't have enough space for the clutch error code in the dashboard menu
That might have made sense in the late 50's when we still used little magnets threaded with wire for memory, and bytes cost real money. When I finally got my scanner I hooked it up and scanned everything. The dash module was 2 years older than the car.
@@robertsmith2956 no the problem as the mechanic explained we was the limited number of error codes due to the can bus protocol, add to that the fact that iveco didn't give access to the 2 computers behind the scenes. The dealer received just the tool to do the download, but they had to send the dump to iveco to have it analysed in Italy. If the dealers were given the proper tools this simple problem would have been fixed on the first day. It just needed a new clutch plate
In this case very likely the problem was in error code management in the "software" of a module. Nothing a dealer could realky fix, the defective mechanical cause was a clythch plate, but that error signal can be fixed only rewritint part of error management "software" by manufacturer ir the supplier of one if the electronic modules.
I've seen this before. Farmer came in with his 2015 F150 a few years ago, no radio, HVAC function, power windows or locks, memory seats, etc. Ended up being both tail lights cracked from farm use, water entered the blind spot detection modules in the tail lights which took down the data bus. Was $3k+
The more sophisticated and "innovative" technology becomes, the more difficult it is to repair it. You'll either go into debt from repair costs or a newer product.
The only issue is that that's done intentionally... I doesn't have to be like that, but it will, because it makes more money... Light assemblies on occasion ending up with water building up is a thing that might happen in a car's lifetime. It doesn't happen often, but assuming that it WILL NOT happen, is ignorance equal to malicious intent.
Or create great tech and make it modular. This isn't a chip failing or a connection failing, its the end point sensor failing in a light unit lol. Just make the light connect with a in line connector...
I know exactly what video you will play! It's unbelievable how complicated modern cars have gotten, not only what can cause problems, but what parts are available, and how long will those parts be made? We are entering an era where part unavailability (or price) will send a very nice vehicle to the junkyard in the future.
Watched his video a few days ago & found it very informative. You both are right. These companies have NO ONE looking at these issues. All they are concerned with is the PROFIT they are making. Cost cutters are given BONUSES and people pointing out these issues are IGNORED or sidelined or laid off.
Hi Louis Two examples. I am a landscaper and when I have to deal with maintaining a property designed by a landscape "Architect " it is a nightmare. They make things inaccessible for maintenance but it looks pretty. Second, I have a plumber that was given plan to use in a new build. He looked at the plans and said it wouldn't work. He was told the designer went to school to design the system and he should just build it. After it didn't work he had to redo it. Those that can do Those that can't design I guess.
Designers should have to be able to do basic maintenance on the cars they design for it to be a passable option IMO. Specialty tools should be kept to a minimum, especially for functions like shifting gears or releasing the parking brake in an emergency (the DOT needs to make electronic shifters and parking brakes illegal for this reason).
As for having a designer "with a bird's-eye view", I have a story. I started-out in the electronic repair business in my early 20's. As I neared the age of 30, I decided to go after a degree in Engineering. I had seen too many bad designs in my years of repair. I wanted to be part of the solution. Well, from day-one at the State College, I was told that I did not belong in their engineering program. In the opinion of the professors, I already had too much life experience. Corporations and engineering firms wanted young kids that they could "mold". The assistant head of the Engineering Department even tried to get me kicked out of school---not because my grades were bad, but, because I needed "to make room for someone who has a chance!" I finally completed the program---only to find what the professors had said was true. I had wasted my life savings and 4 years of my life. Companies do NOT want someone with "a bird's-eye view"!
Absolutely disgusting. And the same goes for the educators aiding and abetting it ...if they just went ahead and enthusiastically trained more people like you, and also forewarned the younger people about the borderline malpractice these companies will expect them to engage in, maybe there would be more pushback within the industry.
Try any aircraft or avionics manufacturer. Absolutely required that the entire life cycle of the component or assembly or system is understood. As well as effects on other systems. Maintainability is required in every stage of design. There's a reason that something as complex as a B-52 can be expected to be airworthy nearly one hundred years after originally manufactured (as currently projected).
@@mikebarushok5361 Guess you never watch tv. A dozen programs dedicated just to airline crashes. Just found another one that specialized in Alaska airplane crashes. The B52 is easy. We also went to the moon with slide rules, can't get to low orbit with super computers.
Car used to be legally required in the US to use standardized, interchangeable modules for the head/tail lights which were a few bucks to replace and painless to install. Unfortunately auto makers had to move heaven and earth to get the government to allow the addition of a single style of rectangular modules, which could integrate into the car's aesthetics and aerodynamics unlike the original round ones, so they followed it up by just lobbying to scrap the requirement entirely instead of trying to more styles approved. @TechnologyConnections has a video on this history titled "Old car headlights were all the same - which was a fairly bright idea".
I am a developer, I work mainly for banks, our main concern when building new features is to make sure when our program fails, it doesn't take down something else, more so than worrying about introducing bugs and regressions, the fact that people building 2- 3 ton death machines don't have these concerns baffles me. Btw I like the tap on mic to remind yourself to edit out that part then you just deciding not to.
What sucks the most about modern technology is computerization of things that need not be computerized. Cars are one of them. As a PC repair tech I believe cars should be as mechanical as possible because computers have so many more points of failure than a gear.
Uh, a gear will inevitably fail due to wear and metal fatigue at best. An electric connection, in theory, doesn't suffer those same issues and can, in theory, continue in dramatically longer. That's why you can easily pick up and use simple electronics from the 1970s and prior where you're a little more limited to finding cars that last that long.
Cars are one of them... Tail lights being combined to and TIED to obstacle detection is just failed FORD engineering at its finest. Like GM engineers when they put a starter under the intake plenum on the NorthStar Cadillac engines. Tail lights need not be more computerized than they are with a simple switch tied to your pedal and a warning that tells you the bulb/LEDs burnt out. Cars as a whole on the other hand have got to be, thats all there is to it.
@@Sarstanwhat the fuck are you talking about? What computers from 1970 are you still using? Don’t compare something in practice to something “in theory” because news flash, computers fail too. What a stupid point. You know this is a MacBook repair channel, right?
I watched that vid a few days a go. Today I was driving my (given by my dad) 92, F-150, 4 wheel, inline six with the AC on today, just smiling. I enjoyed rolling the window down by hand and popping the window vent open too, till the cab cooled off and AC took over.
I was getting my Ford Escape washed when it stopped running. I had to ask the next person in line to help push it out of the “Car Wash.” After having it towed to the Dealership, I paid $1200 for a new computer. Apparently, we should not be washing our cars, as we might get them wet ;-) I currently have a 2016 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk, and you are right. They are not built right. Occasionally the passenger side window, or the backup camera does not work. They all have the same core problem, and you are speaking about it here. These things are grocery getters, we should not be trusting them outside the city.
Once the vehicle becomes too expensive to fix it becomes waste. Many of today's vehicles are complicated and expensive to fix. I still see 30- to 40-year-old pickups still driven today. You won't see todays pickups surviving pass 20 years.
Nope, and even if those new trucks are in great shape, some module being unobtainable will keep it off the road. If you buy a new car, don't get one with all the bells and whistles.
Make base models great again. I have a 2015 Honda Fit. I got a base model with a keyed ignition and a manual transmission. I'm not gonna have this problem. I'm in the market for a truck. I'm definitely going older for it. Finding a stickshift 4x4 that can tow is like finding a needle in a haystack the size of Texas.
4:03 Good to see nothing has changed - my 1988 Ford Escort Cosmopolitan (apparently now a rare, limited edition... for good reason, it was dire) suffered from water ingress to the tail light clusters - as did all Ford Escorts, you could see it when cars were signalling and the brake/sidelights joined in with the flashing. The difference was that when I was pulled over in the 90s and warned by a nice policeman it cost me around £20 for two new lamp units (the other one was on its last legs) and a small time to fit them and clean up the connectors.
As an engineer in the automotive industry and having worked with Ford, I can tell you, that you're exactly right that there is no one in either the tier 1 supplier or Ford rubbing their hands together, saying we're going to make this unrepairable, it is simply a bunch of managers, rubbing their hands together, saying, "how can we make our deadline" and that is really the only thing they care about. "Is it on budget, and is it on time?"
I think that the designers do think about the lack of durability. I think they put research and development Into designing products with specific and predictable failures. They go out of the way to do this l it gives them Control over a product after it’s purchased they know exactly what, and when is gonna fail, and guarantee them more money. They definitely are aware of this unethical practice , and your are correct that it is considered to be the norm everywhere .
About professional devices... There is a machine made by Kabmak which spins together ACSR overhead cables twice thicker than your thumb. Every part of it runs on the same Profibus network. Every VFD, the brake and clutch controllers, every PLC, even the ones running through bloody sliprings, spinning at 100rpm, there's like 20 devices on the network and if something goes offline the machine refuses to move an inch. I saw that the previous techs changed out cables of the wrong impedance to get it to work. That machine is good but I really question some decisions inside of it. And you will see this more and more as it's easier to make independant modules that work on a bus
@@jjay350 A complete overhaul for $10k on top of a $15k 20 year old truck is still a LOT cheaper than a new truck that will probably be less reliable. I'm looking around for a diesel pickup in the 20-30 year old bracket and prices just keep going up. You used to be able to find clapped out trucks for next to nothing, but now even shitboxes are commanding several thousand.
To make matters worse, try finding a technician that could actually find these issues, they're few and far in between (just finding a good mechanic is already difficult). There have been times where I would have to bring out an oscilloscope just to find an obscure issue, like the brake pedal sensor causing an intermittent short that keeps the engine from starting or stalls engine and the only code (or odd data) is the crank position sensor. Now imagine trying to convince a customer to pay for the time for troubleshooting that...hurts the tech and the customer.
When it comes to electronics and sensors even techs don't want to deal with it because the return on their work is not worth it. Can't say I blame them.
The fact that the tail light isn’t adequately sealed for water ingress feels like a colosal oversight for any car manufacturer, but especially for a truck that is designed with the harsh conditions of off-roading in mind
@@autohmae ford marketing. I’m aware that 90 percent of f150s are pavement princesses. But if ford is gonna market it for off roading it had better be able to handle it without significant problems. Of course in my opinion you should get a Toyota if you want a truck you can rely on
@@crispyjokingtuna1495 ahh, yes, the quintessential American brand Toyota ;-) (seriously, they are actually a very interesting company, they wrote the rest of the whole library after Henry Ford wrote the book on mass production)
I was following that ford repair channel before even knew this youtube channel. I susvribed there because of my Ford fusion 2010 and learned a lot how to maintain it
Even more sickening is they would rather rip off the customer than rip open every module & replace the blown canbus transceivers. Also why don't they have better protection against voltage transients?
@@spikester The manufacturing and not evem the distribution is the issue. The issue is exclusivity deals between the IC source and the manufacturers of the actual device manufacturer.
@@rkan2 Suggest you read up on the viabilities of maintaining 30yo fab equipment that was making pentium 3's in the 90s, doesn't help much of that equipment to produce jellybean parts was sold off & relocated elsewhere.
The customer accepted their level of responsibility. They chose to buy an up-market, bleeding edge product. They knew those rear taillights had a radar module in them. It just slipped their mind. Understandable. I had seen his video when it came out. It was mind blowing. But, at the end of the day the customer had a repaired truck that's worth a lot more than 6k. Maybe they sell it now, and get something lower tech. Potentially any component in the CAN BUS circuit could disable the vehicle, meaning basically a million things. That's why the customer was so thrilled just to get it fixed after the dealer couldn't figure it out. These independent technicians, and that's what they are, can make good money as a hired guns, solving these hard to solve problems. Kudos to him.
oh man just wait til he finds out about the 8000$ tailgate on GM trucks. more importantly would be pay for warranty work, mechanics get destroyed by that system. as if normal mechanic pay isnt bad enough
@@ihavenonamek733 the 8000$ tailgate is the option that has all the motors and sections built in. the warranty pay, i have to explain mechanic pay first. so normal mechanic pay, they have a website that tells them how long that job is supposed to take. lets say the website says the part takes 4hrs to replace, that mechanic gets paid 4hrs to do that. if it takes him 2hrs, great he banks 2hrs. if things are rusted or REALLY bad, and it takes more like 6hrs, he still only gets paid 4hrs so he has to eat the 2 extra it took him. effectively working for free. well warranty work is a similar system, but different. it works the same way but according to that, they get way less. a 12hr job for normal work is easily more like 4-6hrs, and it works the same way where if it takes them longer than that 4-6, they just have to work for free on the rest of it. that's why mechanics hate warranty work, they effectively work for free while having to maintain 30k worth of tools when they could be getting their normal pay that already isnt that great considering their high expenses.
Vehicles are only engineered to last 10-15 years at most. Eric O has vehicles on his channel all the time that are basically totaled by modules either being prohibitively expensive to replace or impossible to source.
I believe that number is closer to 3 - 5 years because statistically most people don't keep their cars much longer than that before they trade or re-lease.
The lifespan is getting shorter and shorter the newer cars get, especially if you live in a climate where salt and that new chloride (or whatever it is) road spray is used... it rots away cars so quickly.
I’ve been a mechanic for 30 years and auto repair has been for awhile been becoming non sensical . But it’s reached another whole level with much more coming . It’s getting where you can’t replace common parts without the equipment and most importantly the access to manufacturers data support to just recognize the new part even though it’s the same part and does the same thing
I agree that maybe we should create the job of: "Repairability Concierge" who has an overview of the design and integration process, and reviews the resulting end-product. I work in a rather large high-tech, multi-national corporation where the IT department pleased the management by cutting a few jobs who had the responsibility of coordinating all the operating system patches for compatibility with the corporate standard computers and applications. Alas, the result was that 87,000 end users were then stuck with each diagnosing and resolving their own compatibility problems. (Instead of doing the jobs they were paid for.) The end-result was that it cost the corporation several times more that it would have cost to retain that one person. But there is nobody left in that management position to look at the larger, cross-department situation.
If Ford/GM/Chrysler wanted reliability they would make cars reliable. They have been making cars for over 20 years a monkey can make things more reliable if he had 20 years experience in building something. They just want to give you junk and keep you spending on repairs.
Yep, I have seen this on headlights as well. They are connected to the CAN Bus for some advanced form of auto high beam. But you get a little bit of water and cause a short the CAN network just crashes. I don’t know if it is still the case but you have been able to buy temporary access to workshop manuals from ford. But increasingly the wiring diagrams stop at the modules themselves and no schematics for the modules themselves. So not always useful.
@@MG-im8ku I understand that every owner wants to feel like they made an intelligent choice! Facts do not correspond to feelings! At the end of the day your feelings can’t beat statistics! But have fun in your Toyota it such an amazing feeling!
@litoaykiu is that why Asian vehicles last much longer and easier to maintain than American? And they don't devalue anywhere near as fast as American cars? I've had both American and Asian cars. Multiple of each. The American cars never compared when it came to reliability and resale value. Have fun in your American F150 that can't handle being in the rain from the sounds of it lol
A lot of people don't even think about how this would affect your rising insurance rates: a simple backing up into another vehicle in a parking lot would be covered by insurance. Except now its a $5000 tail light, $4000 bump, $3000 in sensors, $2000 in computer calibration, then installation of the above. A simple fender bender in a parking lot can easily be $10,000+ and insurance contractually has to pay that for minor damages.
Ford parts guy here: when these taillights were first released we were dying laughing at what the prices were like…until we realized Ford was being serious.
That same truck ended up back at the same shop that figured out the problem with the tail lights causing the issue. it was for the driver seat not working right. turned out broken wire from them being too short from the factory because it doesn't allow movement but when they are lumbar seats and they are designed to move they eventually pull out/break off the wires. it was a cheap fix this time but right after the tail lights and not knowing it was related or not can get frustrating for sure especially since if the factory would have put an extra few inches of wire on them so the units can move would have solved the problem. so many problems with these newer vehicle i hear from people that buy them I am glad I stuck to my older stuff that I know how to fix myself.
I do automotive Electrical repairs on my channel as well, there is nothing wrong with simple relays and fuses, I fell the previous tech was superior in real world use than current.. most of this stuff is completely unnecessary but it's good for business..
I been watching your chanel for a minute and i love and have a lot of respect for what you do and represent, i wish i could tell you that im a supporter but i can baerlly keep up with my bills, that been said after watching what you deal with when it comes to the manifactures its hard to belive that you don't think that this people are not doing this engeniring puzzels unporpes not only to go after your money as it is the way people like you earn a living but also milk us the consumer out of every penie that they can, i AM almost 100% sure that most of this manufactures would charge us twice for the same product if they were allow too.
I have watched that video, Brian is a true and honest professional. I had a thought about those taillight assemblies being full of water. Does this customer own a boat and trailer and did he submerge the back end of the truck launching the boat? It’s possible.
I have been speculating lately about collision repair, especially in the context to the Tessla gigapress. If the damage moves a critical mounting point the vehicle could, (would?), be totaled. I have been rearended several times, five grand for a tail light is wow. My dad had the tail lights stolen off of his 1959 Cadillac, his insurance paid for them with the caveat that they would NOT do it again!
There used to be a time when modules (and vehicles)were tested in aggressive environments for durability. "BUILT FORD TOUGH" used to be a mantra to assure the New Owner that his new F150 was going to withstand going thru Hell and still run,or not leave the poor schlub stranded in BFE. Ease of repair was also a strong selling point,'cause,who wants to drive a Lamborghini on the farm? LOL Many farmers in Mid Missouri are seeking out the "Old Iron" because technology,forced upon us by Government,Big Tech,or even Nefarious,just doesn't need to belong in Heavy Duty Work Vehicles. Kudos,Louis,for also reporting on the Ford Fiasco!
The odd thing, other than the taillight not properly sealed, is that the connectors are terrible. The mechanic said that where the wires go into the connector is sealed. But apparently the connectors themselves don't seal between each other. And that's the part where it went sideways and corroded the pins to the point of 'destroying' the harness and modules. And as Louis said, it probably is made difficult to get / replace module side connectors to replace the corroded ones. On top of all that... the pigtail (connector and a couple of inches of wire) was more expensive than the entire harnas that connects the 2 taillights to the rest of the truck.
CAN bus transceivers are differential-mode by design. They're supposed to survive a direct short to +12V on the data pins (the chip will of course not work in these conditions, but it won't fry the whole board and your computer module will work again once the fault is removed).
I'm in college for automotive technology. last year we were being taught how to use voltage drop. by placing the leads of a multimeter on both sides of the harness and checking the voltage while the component is running you will be able to tell if excess voltage resistance is in the wire on higher gauge wires like a starter. our teacher had us work on a Ford with a windshield washer pump. after testing the wiring everything was good. The teacher revealed that ford has their relays that activate other devices soldered directly to the bcm or pcm of the vehicle. when a relay goes out you replace the entire bcm. Side note a student was working on the school's ford f-150. they were disabling the fuel pump to test the starter. the student found the fuel pump relay. he managed to pull it out. cars are getting filled with alot of computers now. Even a Ford maverick with its lower price has I think about 20 -30 individual.
In comparison, I have a 25 year old Chevy truck and the "module" that the light bulbs mount to in the tail light failed due to heat and age. Both sides shipped to me from Rock Auto were about $20 total. The lenses are fine, but they are pretty cheap and easily found.
I was at a body shop the other day (Im a subcontractor and am always in different shops) and they had to calibrate or link (I'm not sure the term) headlights to the computer on an Audi, and calibrate the sensors. Apparently, the headlights send a code to the ECU so you can't just replace a headlight with another. The job of calibration was 2,000. That's not the headlight cost, bumper and painting, that's just the cost of calibrating the headlight to the computer and other sensors so that the car will drive properly. Fender benders on modern cars frequently cost 8 to 10k per car.
Wow, I came across that video last week! Like you said, there are so many points of failure in this on the product side, but to me it does start to feel like its malicious. The extra functionality is great, but I wonder if the owner would option their truck the same way after experiencing this mess.
There's no good reason the obstacle sensor would be integrated into the tail light. Those should be two separate and discrete modules. The only reasons otherwise are to save Ford a few dollars per truck or to promote planned obsolescence.
Had a similar problem with my 1969 Chevy C10. Nice light sensor at the Safeway parking lot told me my taillight was out. Drove down the street to O'Reilly auto parts and for $1.75 got two replacement bulbs. Cleaned the bulb socket and sealed the gasket. That was probably 10 years ago and the light works fine. Neighbor swapped wheels from another car with better tread to go on a road trip. Car went into limp mode (15mph) because the computer didn't recognize the tire air pressure sensors...wow!
Just opt out of the radar in the tail light, when those came out I knew they were insanely expensive. Still have my 2004 F150 4.6L V8 running strong. But those 5.0 coyotes are fast
My suv transmission went into limp home mode because i changed the tail light bulb with a non OEM bulb. It was great to have to take it to a dealer and get a rental car before work for this.
I just leased a new 2024 CRV hybrid. I love it. Wonderful to drive, perfect size for our shrinking family ( adult kids ) amazing fuel millage and range. We bought extra insurance (surprisingly cheap) to cover us fully for the duration. The thought of having to pay for a repair on what is basically a supercomputer on wheels with half a million sensors makes me sweat. I will never own a new car. I can just hand this one in and move on. My second vehicle is going to be a square body with a small block. Hard to find a good one, but at least I can fix that on my driveway. Worth the search.
Currently working through what seems a very similar issue with a 2020 Kia Niro PHEV. Looks like the heavy rain this week caused an electrical system failure
I’m an automotive tech I can tell you that ford has pigtails for alsorts of things but the kick is that most techs or parts departments would rather buy the pigtails then figure out how to use Digikey to look up pins and connectors. I’m currently an upfitter and have become custom to the use of Digikey mouser and even newegg for parts that I use.
I can guarantee those lamps are manufactured to be waterproof. A sample of each batch is tested by dunking them in a bathtub and then verifying they still work. If the lamp was a leaker then it was either cracked by the user or manufacturing defect; so please don't say "they weren't made to be liquid proof"... They absolutely were. Also the object detection modules are supposed to be serviceable (they are only screwed in place) so I'm a little surprised there were issues finding them.
Just discovered your channel and already I have seen some great videos like this one, and the "Tesla camera - on in the garage" one. I look forward to checking out more of your videos. Thanks for making them!!!
I've only had one Ford vehicle (Ford Escape) and it was a nightmare. Constantly breaking down. One example is I needed a new carburetor and when a friend of mine who knew cars tried helping he explained that most cars put the carburetor in a place that is extremely easy to access and take out if need replaced, but not this one. You basically had to take the whole engine out in order to access the part. Got a RAV4 now and have literally had zero issues for years.
I was quoted just under 2k to fix the A/C compressor in my 2012 Chevy Cruze. It requires a whole new kit to be installed and recharged, oh it also counted the replacement of the hoses from my radiator busting and spewing transmission fluid all over the highway which made me actually bring it in. This quote was after the mechanics recharged my AC free of charge with a dye to test for leaks and replaced a blown fuse. A more "reknown" mechanic (looking at you Christian Brothers), wanted to charge me 5k just for the compressor alone. All of that pales in comparison to this.
I think one of the major issues with cars now is that they’re designed to sell in the showroom, rather than be used, so there’s an imperative to get as many features in as cheaply as possible, and damn how well it functions post-warranty. It’s also how you wind up with touchscreens rather than physical controls, and stylized instrument displays, which look great and are easy when stopped but almost unusable (at least safely) on the move. On the issue of lack of one person having oversight on how stuff works, counterintuitively I sometimes wonder if it isn’t an issue of being /too/ well resourced. I remember reading an article on the development of the MQ-28 Ghost Bat. One thing noted by the Americans involved was that, because the Australian teams were used to working with much fewer resources, everyone involved was used to doing everything. So, everyone had an at least passing knowledge how the whole system worked so development went faster and smoother, rather than having dedicated component teams doing their own thing in isolation.
As someone who went through school to be a mechanic. Yes car companies 100% on purpose have been designing their cars every decade to more and more phase out repairability. Same as tech, they do not want independents fixing vehicles. They want all the business in their own ecosystem. Either charging 10x more at a dealer, for just dropping in entire systems instead of repairing anything anymore. Or just manufactured planned obsolescence so you'll buy/lease a new one. It's honestly sadly why I quit pursuing being an auto mechanic. I didn't join the field to be a tech repairman who worked on cars, I joined to be a mechanic.
I recently bought a new car and was shocked at repair costs as well as how impossible it is to fix anything on your own. If I would have known, I would have bought a bike.
You put this together really nicely and makes me wonder that Mercedes May be doing a better job at their can bus systems than other manufacturers. Sure their modules are very expensive and sensitive to impacts but you don’t see one module affecting others quite often at least that has been my experience so far.
Have you ever dreamed of being able to clean your sunglasses, phone screen, or laptop with clinton the cat? Your dreams have been answered. store.rossmanngroup.com/screen-cleaning-kit.html
For a moment I feared this would be a bottle of windex and a towel. Then I clicked and saw Clinton the cat. Phew.
Louis - Please check out the following innovative printer that can clone itself and could improve itself with an AI interface. Very unique design of a 3D printer. ruclips.net/video/Ek_7tBOCcAI/видео.htmlsi=FIhp499c-sQ51Gls
There is a lot of ingenuity going into that design.
The worthless unnecessary sensor is the problem. If it wasn't there there would be no problem. Always been there with cars since 1995. They have just made it worse by not protecting these sensors. They should be robust but to save a penny it's now your problem sucker. When this should ALWAYS be the manufacturer's problem. They didn't save you a penny they profited the penny.
Louis, have you heard of Edison Motors? They're a "diesel electric hybrid" tractor truck OEM and they may be peak your interest as a pro right to repair vehicle manufacturer. Their target market is heavy duty Vocational trucks like logging, mining, snow plows, ect.
They have a RUclips channel cataloging their build process up to this point and its absolutely fascinating.
I'd love to see what you have to say about them 😁
Mr. Clinton shakes his whiskers at threadjacking. @@Mr.Unacceptable
What's crazy to me about this whole thing, is that he mentions that the customer didn't even really care that it was over $5K to fix what should normally be a simple repair, but was more concerned that it just wasn't fixed when he called. Customers like this are part of the reason these companies can keep getting away with this crap.
The customer just wanted his car fixed.
The dealer couldn't figure it out. So he would be looking at spending 70k+ on a replacement truck if he wanted all the features (features that coincidentally caused his problems).
When the dealer can't fix your 5 year old vehicle, you are really worried. He must have been thrilled when a 3rd party figured it out, regardless of the cost.
This should be the kind of thing that could be part of a "lemon law" case, if they had enough commitment to dig there. Truck wasn't that old, was it?
Welp it’s about to get a whole lot worse because I’m pretty certain pretty soon they’ll start to strike as well.
Exactly , I will sell the car and never buy that brand again, that kind of crap, no way I can accept that, I need a reliable car not a gizmo
@@leandrolaporta2196 if a small car can fit your lifestyle then consider a Toyota ECHO the line itself has been discontinued along time ago but I have very rarely ran into any issues with them because I’ve had 2 of them off and on in the last 3-8 years give or take.
I was telling people this would become a thing eventually. The 3000$ headlight I used to say. Little did I know I was two grand short.
Yeah they place so many modules and actuators in what should be simple so that is a race to who can out blind each other. Also, yeah they love to embed those super expensive distance sensors as when you have a simple crack and want to replace a tail lamp it is now over a thousand dollars (not including manufacturer recommended expensive calibration for ADAS - though for this case it is not needed). Now the individual might live with the crack but what happens is that an insurance company is forced to replace it as it is not just a crack but a safety item so they will shy away from giving an appearance allowance. People might think "yeah F the insurance company" but what happens is that it makes car insurance far more expensive so it isn't the car insurance companies that get f'ed it is all of us.
No, you got it right; price adjusted for Bidenomics (inflation).
we can pump those numbers higher
google the price of a new bmw laserlight headlight
@@johnhermann762Found the Trump supporter.
"Bidenomics" lmao. Why on earth do you think Biden has the power to change the economy of the entire world this much?
Except the taillight is not what cost $5000. It's like you heard what you want to hear.
What really sucks is that cars used to have more repairability legally mandated. Like there were a total of two headlights legally approved. So you could buy the one you have basically anywhere and install it. Compare to the modern headlight housings. And the massive, easier to break, proprietary headlight fixtures that you can’t just change the bulb in is 100% a price gouging, anti-repair thing.
There really should be legally mandated limits on what manufacturers can charge for replacement parts. You really think it cost Ford $5000 for each of those tail lights when they install them on the assembly line? That $50k car ends up being a $500k car if you order replacements for all the parts.
But of course, that's the point. "Don't get a replacement transmission for $8k. Just buy a new car!"
The lights aren't that expensive for Ford but they aren't cheap either. Usually about 1/5 - 1/3 the consumer cost is what the OEM pays for the parts
My 94 Suburban had the replaceable bulb. You had to remove the grill,then the headlight to replace the bulb.
This guy watches Technology Connections 👍
Half the reason why mechanics are in such high demand nowadays is because those who spent even 10-20 years in the field just don't want to repair these poorly engineered modern cars. It has nothing to do with more maintainanence, electronics, or people not wanting to work. It's the fact that what was an easy 20-30 minute repair on cars from the 90s and early 2000s is now a 3-4 hour repair because they've engineered it poorly to encourage people to just get the warranty from the dealer & call it a day.
Longer repair times means more charges in labor to the customer at non-dealer shops. It's a huge scam and a lot of car mechanics have finally had enough of it. Isn't late stage capitalism just grand?
I was calling this out years ago when car manufacturers were coming out with the custom tail lights with LEDs. They weren't a standard lens with a standard LED bulb socketed in... These are full array LED systems so if they have any issues you have to replace the entire tail light compartment to fix it. No longer can you just head to the auto parts store and just grab a cheap $5 light bulb to plug in.
That's funny, you think 5 bucks for a single tail light bulb is cheap.
Ok, but those LED units do last long. By the time they fail you'd have replaced a fortune of bulbs already.
@@JorisRobijn But then again, why do we have to throw away a perfectly good housing, just because some LEDs failed? Replacing the defective LEDs like lightbulbs is the only right way to go.
@@JorisRobijn That's silly, I've replaced the tail lights in my mid-nineties Accord once.
Got to love how "Built Ford Tough" means you can't drive your truck in the rain.
Probably can't even park your truck in the rain. 🤦♂️
My 1964 VW splittie Kombi leaks water to the inside of the car when it rains.
It doesn't however stop running.
Even when the rain is 2 foot deep😁
well to fords credit they circle the problem and not their fault the acronym fits Fn Owner Really Dumb lol
@user-hg4li3zx1x😆😆
By tough they mean tough to repair.
I have been watching Fordtechmakuloco ever since I bought my 2009 F150. When I watched the video you just mentioned I was floored by the insane cost the customer had to pay because of what came down to a simple water leak. Newer cars are insanely easy to break anymore simply because of the data exchange between modules. It is like a wise man once said "the more you mess with the plumbing, the easier it is to plug the drain". On a side note the customer didn't care the cost he just wanted his truck back. Must be nice to have money to burn.
I love my 2011 F150 and do a lot of my maintenance because FordTech showed me how. 130k miles on it and runs perfectly. Has a computer on it but hopefully I won’t have to mortgage my house if it goes bad. I’ll drive it till I die rather than buy a ridiculously overpriced piece of garbage new one.
I bet you $100 that the truck was flooded! I buy from Copart, and flooded trucks are my gravy!
Customer did care since insurance check was in the mail or even managed to buy back his own vehicle.
"the more you mess with the plumbing, the easier it is to plug the drain" Ah, Scotty from Star Trek III
Even if true it's irrelevant. Soaking the taillight should not wipe out an entire line of modules and what not.@@litoaykiu
@@rcnelson Water was not only in taillights! Water inside the cab will get you. Wiring harness has waterproof connections.
You can definitely tell there's no thought for fault tolerance anymore. They expect you to keep all your car's 87 computers happy at all times.
I own a fault tolerant motorcycle.
It's a 1970 Norton 750 commando.
@andrewallen9993 i love v8's. Give em fuel and power, and kaboom, 300hp wherever you want it to go
How much is the asking price?@@andrewallen9993
German cars have multiple CAN buses to avoid this kind of problems. It is a design issue.
That's what I like about my 93 Miata, pretty sure the radio is one of the only electronics in the car.
As someone who calibrates the ADAS systems (Obstacle Detection, AdaptiveCruise, etc) for colision repair, I can confidently say their thought process is if something fails you take it to a dealership or OEM certified repair shop so they get more money.
The original model T was designed to run only 10,000 miles before an overhaul of the engine was required. I have restored 2 Model T's. One of which I used an original engine and rebuilt with original parts and I can easily defend this figure of 10,000 miles. I learned from a biography of Henry Ford that he was upset at one point that customers were picking parts from scrap yards and putting them on their cars to repair them. He asked his engineers to redesign specific parts to fail sooner, but also permanently. So that people could not buy used parts for a pittance and keep their vehicles running. So began the battle between manufacturer that must design their product to fail or be perpetually replaced and the consumer who would rather pay more for a product built to last and of higher quality.
RIP Model T enthusiasts. Lol. I actually did not know this as a 78-88 G-body guy.
And oil change service every 300 miles...or maybe less I cannot remember.
@wxfield sounds like planned obsolescence to me.
Seems to have been a prevailing and open business model back in the day. Watching some documentaries on Gillette, it's the same story. How can we make a product that actually does solve a need, but do so in a way that forces customers to be locked into constant maintenance through you.
Basically subscription services were always the Holy Grail.
The difference now is that most of this stuff doesn't solve any real problems and only creates new ones by owning it.
@Crazywaffle5150 1060's era cars have electrical system is less complex than the F-150 taillamp module.
Water getting into the tail lights used to be fixed with drilling a drain hole and or sealing the edges with RTV silicone and a new bulb (remember light bulbs?). Or if you really wanted you would just get a new one. I hate new cars and I used to be a mechanic
And this is why i like old cars so much, i could be missing the entire back half of the vehicle and as long as i still have fuel and the drivetrain that car will still move and everything, it won't do it well but it will do it. Yet it is a extreme example but you get the point.
The more complex you make a system the more little things are able to cripple the entire thing.
Just like the B-17 flying with the tail end missing.
@@maxwebster7572 I'm not sure if it was a b17 but there was a instance where a tail gunner flew the severed tail a bit using the gun and alot of luck. If it was made like a moden car it would have dropped like a rock.
“complexity” isn’t necessarily bad- you can have a radio and a subwoofer and all kinds of tech in a car down to a giant computer in the trunk. the real issue is that any of these things are designed to break when anything else unrelated breaks.
bad engineering, plain and simple. even in integrating these systems to work better together, segmentation is a 101. ever wonder why you can just pull a usb stick out of a pc without special software?
you can cut a lada in 2 and drive it, the lada dont care as long as you give it fuel and a battery..
@@ThirtytwoJ I'm aiming for a Pontiac fiero, they have their flaws but dang they are so modular and durable you can easily make it better than most cars out there.
I’ve been saying this recently.
Tail lights used to have replacement bulbs.
Modern ones are way over made and in most cases the whole unit needs replacing at a huge cost.
It does exist, Louis. It's called "Failure Mode and Effects Analysis" and automotive industry holds semiconductor industry to this standard, and the employees doing the work are quality-reliability engineers and product engineers. But I guess the final manufacturer of the finished product doesn't hold themselves to the same standards.
They learned from the Pinto fiasco: if you see a potential problem, do not notice it, because if you get sued over it you don't want a papertrail showing that you knew about it.
There's training to explain to employees the types of things that shouldn't be discussed via email and the types of wording to avoid... it's a real thing at many large companies
in aviation and airlines it's called MTBF - Mean Time Between Failures - and FAA will not allow a manufacturer to produce jet engines unless they pass thousands of hours of mtbf
I think there IS at least One person, at the top of Ford, or any other auto maker who is thinking "we want this to be difficult to repair, so they are forced to come to OUR dealers and pay US to repair it". I really do think someone is keeping that in mind when designing these newer vehicles. They want just as much of the "you'll own nothing and like it" world as Apple, or Samsung or the Video game publishers, Appliance makers as Anyone.
cars are becoming like laptops, one thing breaks you must get a new car. Imagine getting in a small accident which is way more likely than a water leak and the whole car stops working because some bs sensors are broken now.
I own 4 Fords and have followed this channel for several years. It is an excellent channel. I did get to watch this video a few weeks ago. IMHO, this falls in the category of integrating many parts to streamline the manufacturing process at the expense of reducing repairability. The manufacturer reduces costs, and the owner will eat it when repairs happen outside the warranty period.
Just wait for that GUI screen control to go bad, and you have no redundant buttons as an option...Ahh, the beauty of "Sledgehammer" design and engineering. Instead of replacing a simpler, likely cheaper part, you use a sledgehammer to pull a bigger component that co$t$ more.
1990: Shoot the tire, to make him stop
2023: Shoot the tail light
I remeber, back in 2008, I had my first car, a Peugeot 206. I replaced my taillights with tunning ones I bought from an unknown site for 150$ equivalent currency 😂. I also installed a subwoofer, replaced the head unit 3 times and replaced speakers in the doors myself and I was 19. Old cars were so easy to work on.
Ohhh, I have some experience with Ford’s genius design. I had to replace the headlight on my 2016 Ford Fusion Energi, a task that - I kid you not - requires taking off the entire front bumper. I do so love taking off at least a dozen clips to replace one of the most common wear items on a car.
Also I sure hope you planned to replace all of those clips, because they will break
Not defending ford or any other automakers but that is not so uncommon to have to do, especially if the bumper is molded around the headlights. But hey at least you did not have to disassemble the rest of the front end!
This reminds me of a BMW which did not even try to start because of the comfort access Door Handle was somehow shorting the canbus to ground
Seen a VW that the windshield wipers would turn on and the engine would die, when the sun visor was placed in the down position.. video is on youtube somewhere.
With all the modules in modern cars any of them can keep it from starting.
The more features, the more modules that can fail and take down the network, especially ones outside the cabin.
I mean at least give Diagnose Dan on RUclips some credit!
ruclips.net/video/B7gggowzPSE/видео.htmlsi=labp4S1_Rks0h0vP
I think the truck video also has turn out as a short to ground from corrosion, thus low or dropped signal. It's stupid to have too many things rely on something that can fail that easily and possibly way too easily. (Like if you know how electrical was on some older cars just for lights not working, particularly with connectors as they age - the new ones are going to be hell if they fail similarly but with a crapload of unnecessary system dependency.)
In older cars with water intrusion all you have to do is drill a small hole in the bottom of the lamp to let the water out. Clean up the lamp socket and replace the bulb. Ask me how I know lol. This is precisely why I don't own a vehicle newer than 20 years old. As my grandpa used to say about new cars and new features, "that's just more stuff to break".
Cars should be able to run when a non-critical system fails. As in does the engine run, can you steer, and can you brake? If so, it should run.
Not talking to a sensor for a drive assistance feature should not be a reason to disable an entire vehicle.
But how else would they make billions in repairing vehicles? lol What you say makes complete sense, and should be happening. But all that matters to Ford and most car manufacturers is their bottom line. Making the car as cheap as possible to manufacture, and as expensive as possible to repair.
They didn't sell you a 100,000$ truck on a loan that will screw you for life so you can go around town driving, are you crazy ?
This is why I prefer to own older cars. My neighbor wanted to get rid of his 1998 Dodge Dakota because he just didn't want it anymore and he considered it unreliable. So, he offered to sell it to me for $600 if I could get it out of his backyard. After getting it a new battery, it hesitated at first to start up. But, we got it into our yard so that I could start working on it. It took me a few months to get it to a point where it was reliable again. But, I now use it as a daily driver.
Ford Tek is one of my automotive spirit animals. Neat to see two of my favourite subscriptions from very different focuses. Fortunately for the customer he was able to claim insurance for the water intrusion.
Shouldn’t have to go through insurance for weather but glad they had the option to. Still probably raise premiums though. Either way the consumer was f**** and ford is not gonna see any repercussions for it. So the newer models will probably have the same issue
A mighty Ford F150 defeated by a bit of water in the taillight. Nice!
Could be a perfect metaphor for a great selection of things :D
When a set of taillights with included modules cost upwards of $5,000 just in parts, it's time to start a chop shop 😂
Hush. Next thing you know Ford will be taking another page from Apple's playbook by installing DRM in their modules so only "Ford authorized repair technicians" can complete the handshake necessary for a swapped sensor to talk with the ECU.
the right to repair laws stops that @@GSBarlev
@@JoebDragon The same laws that we keep find having all kinds of loopholes?
This latest "win" in, was it Florida? Well what ever... It had an exception for if I remember correctly "computational devices" that were not covered by the new Right to Repair law. Turns out that your computer, telephone, and games console are all computational devices. Want to bet that the car manufacturers will claim that extends to the electronics in your car? After all the brainbox handling everything from engine management to GPS and entertainments system in your car is computerized. Sounds like computational devices to me... They even come with upgradeable software.
Now this law is fresh and has not been tested in court yet. But as it is written I have my doubts it will change much of anything.
@@GSBarlevford authorized repair technician "fart"
I see what you did here 😅
Ford sued Autel because the AP200 scan tool scans for dtc codes to troubleshoot your car. Apparently think think we need to take our cars to a license Ford technician.
I had a similar issue with my 2004 Volvo S60R. The alarm module is known for having a bad battery. It's the same BUS that is used for the sun roof. I had to replace the alarm module to get my sunroof to close.
Luis please place the cat tree behind you, WE MISS THE CATS!!!
I second that statement
I third that statement. We miss them fluffy gremlins
The people have spoken.
I sneeze too much. I'm allergic.
I don't think he will because "Luis" will never read this, but Louis might :P
Just having fun pointing out the minor typo. At least it was just a typo and you didn't spell it Lewis.
I used to be an automechanic. I knew this was coming about 15 years ago when I had to remove a whole front bumper in order to replace a headlight bulb.
You know who loves this technology crap other than the dealership making money on repairs ? Thieves love it, they plug a computer through the head lights or tail lights and reprogram the main car computer, voila it opens and they drive away with it. The car ends up in Nigeria or some other country.
I encountered a abs warning light on a iveco trakker based truck. For 1,5 years multiple mechanics tried figuring out what was wrong as all the abs stuff was working properly. In the end the dealer was send a tool from the manufacturer to do a full firmware download where they discovered there were 3 computers in series. Computer 1 received a abs error send by number 2, but number 2 tranformed the clutch error to a abs error because they didn't have enough space for the clutch error code in the dashboard menu
That might have made sense in the late 50's when we still used little magnets threaded with wire for memory, and bytes cost real money.
When I finally got my scanner I hooked it up and scanned everything. The dash module was 2 years older than the car.
@@robertsmith2956 no the problem as the mechanic explained we was the limited number of error codes due to the can bus protocol, add to that the fact that iveco didn't give access to the 2 computers behind the scenes. The dealer received just the tool to do the download, but they had to send the dump to iveco to have it analysed in Italy. If the dealers were given the proper tools this simple problem would have been fixed on the first day. It just needed a new clutch plate
In this case very likely the problem was in error code management in the "software" of a module. Nothing a dealer could realky fix, the defective mechanical cause was a clythch plate, but that error signal can be fixed only rewritint part of error management "software" by manufacturer ir the supplier of one if the electronic modules.
I've seen this before. Farmer came in with his 2015 F150 a few years ago, no radio, HVAC function, power windows or locks, memory seats, etc. Ended up being both tail lights cracked from farm use, water entered the blind spot detection modules in the tail lights which took down the data bus. Was $3k+
The more sophisticated and "innovative" technology becomes, the more difficult it is to repair it. You'll either go into debt from repair costs or a newer product.
I assume that's the main reason Tesla is being redesigned.
The only issue is that that's done intentionally... I doesn't have to be like that, but it will, because it makes more money...
Light assemblies on occasion ending up with water building up is a thing that might happen in a car's lifetime.
It doesn't happen often, but assuming that it WILL NOT happen, is ignorance equal to malicious intent.
This failure cascading re,indeed me of the Maytag Neptune wax motor fiasco... just poor system design
I was all set to buy an f250, too...
Or create great tech and make it modular. This isn't a chip failing or a connection failing, its the end point sensor failing in a light unit lol. Just make the light connect with a in line connector...
Innovation itself is not a problem. Bad designs are.
I wish you well Louis! I am proud of you as a person.
I know exactly what video you will play!
It's unbelievable how complicated modern cars have gotten, not only what can cause problems, but what parts are available, and how long will those parts be made?
We are entering an era where part unavailability (or price) will send a very nice vehicle to the junkyard in the future.
Watched his video a few days ago & found it very informative. You both are right. These companies have NO ONE looking at these issues. All they are concerned with is the PROFIT they are making. Cost cutters are given BONUSES and people pointing out these issues are IGNORED or sidelined or laid off.
Hi Louis Two examples. I am a landscaper and when I have to deal with maintaining a property designed by a landscape "Architect " it is a nightmare. They make things inaccessible for maintenance but it looks pretty. Second, I have a plumber that was given plan to use in a new build. He looked at the plans and said it wouldn't work. He was told the designer went to school to design the system and he should just build it. After it didn't work he had to redo it. Those that can do Those that can't design I guess.
Designers should have to be able to do basic maintenance on the cars they design for it to be a passable option IMO.
Specialty tools should be kept to a minimum, especially for functions like shifting gears or releasing the parking brake in an emergency (the DOT needs to make electronic shifters and parking brakes illegal for this reason).
As for having a designer "with a bird's-eye view", I have a story. I started-out in the electronic repair business in my early 20's. As I neared the age of 30, I decided to go after a degree in Engineering. I had seen too many bad designs in my years of repair. I wanted to be part of the solution. Well, from day-one at the State College, I was told that I did not belong in their engineering program. In the opinion of the professors, I already had too much life experience. Corporations and engineering firms wanted young kids that they could "mold". The assistant head of the Engineering Department even tried to get me kicked out of school---not because my grades were bad, but, because I needed "to make room for someone who has a chance!" I finally completed the program---only to find what the professors had said was true. I had wasted my life savings and 4 years of my life. Companies do NOT want someone with "a bird's-eye view"!
That's horrifying.
Absolutely disgusting. And the same goes for the educators aiding and abetting it ...if they just went ahead and enthusiastically trained more people like you, and also forewarned the younger people about the borderline malpractice these companies will expect them to engage in, maybe there would be more pushback within the industry.
this means the world is telling you to start your own bossiness and disrupt them.
Try any aircraft or avionics manufacturer. Absolutely required that the entire life cycle of the component or assembly or system is understood. As well as effects on other systems. Maintainability is required in every stage of design. There's a reason that something as complex as a B-52 can be expected to be airworthy nearly one hundred years after originally manufactured (as currently projected).
@@mikebarushok5361 Guess you never watch tv. A dozen programs dedicated just to airline crashes. Just found another one that specialized in Alaska airplane crashes.
The B52 is easy. We also went to the moon with slide rules, can't get to low orbit with super computers.
Car used to be legally required in the US to use standardized, interchangeable modules for the head/tail lights which were a few bucks to replace and painless to install. Unfortunately auto makers had to move heaven and earth to get the government to allow the addition of a single style of rectangular modules, which could integrate into the car's aesthetics and aerodynamics unlike the original round ones, so they followed it up by just lobbying to scrap the requirement entirely instead of trying to more styles approved. @TechnologyConnections has a video on this history titled "Old car headlights were all the same - which was a fairly bright idea".
I am a developer, I work mainly for banks, our main concern when building new features is to make sure when our program fails, it doesn't take down something else, more so than worrying about introducing bugs and regressions, the fact that people building 2- 3 ton death machines don't have these concerns baffles me.
Btw I like the tap on mic to remind yourself to edit out that part then you just deciding not to.
What sucks the most about modern technology is computerization of things that need not be computerized. Cars are one of them. As a PC repair tech I believe cars should be as mechanical as possible because computers have so many more points of failure than a gear.
@@GH0STST4RSCR34Mshame old Bronco prices are crazy!
Mechanical and simple. Too many circuit boards that have components go bad and completely shut off the car
Uh, a gear will inevitably fail due to wear and metal fatigue at best. An electric connection, in theory, doesn't suffer those same issues and can, in theory, continue in dramatically longer. That's why you can easily pick up and use simple electronics from the 1970s and prior where you're a little more limited to finding cars that last that long.
Cars are one of them... Tail lights being combined to and TIED to obstacle detection is just failed FORD engineering at its finest. Like GM engineers when they put a starter under the intake plenum on the NorthStar Cadillac engines. Tail lights need not be more computerized than they are with a simple switch tied to your pedal and a warning that tells you the bulb/LEDs burnt out. Cars as a whole on the other hand have got to be, thats all there is to it.
@@Sarstanwhat the fuck are you talking about? What computers from 1970 are you still using? Don’t compare something in practice to something “in theory” because news flash, computers fail too. What a stupid point. You know this is a MacBook repair channel, right?
I watched that vid a few days a go. Today I was driving my (given by my dad) 92, F-150, 4 wheel, inline six with the AC on today, just smiling. I enjoyed rolling the window down by hand and popping the window vent open too, till the cab cooled off and AC took over.
thank you... you bring up a great point of designer, engineers, manufacturers not thinking the product through
the sad part is. The sole conception of having BUS in the design is to decouple the components ...
Yet it does not work as such, never has.
I was getting my Ford Escape washed when it stopped running.
I had to ask the next person in line to help push it out of the “Car Wash.”
After having it towed to the Dealership, I paid $1200 for a new computer.
Apparently, we should not be washing our cars, as we might get them wet ;-)
I currently have a 2016 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk, and you are right. They are not built right.
Occasionally the passenger side window, or the backup camera does not work.
They all have the same core problem, and you are speaking about it here.
These things are grocery getters, we should not be trusting them outside the city.
Once the vehicle becomes too expensive to fix it becomes waste. Many of today's vehicles are complicated and expensive to fix. I still see 30- to 40-year-old pickups still driven today. You won't see todays pickups surviving pass 20 years.
Nope, and even if those new trucks are in great shape, some module being unobtainable will keep it off the road.
If you buy a new car, don't get one with all the bells and whistles.
Make base models great again.
I have a 2015 Honda Fit. I got a base model with a keyed ignition and a manual transmission. I'm not gonna have this problem.
I'm in the market for a truck. I'm definitely going older for it. Finding a stickshift 4x4 that can tow is like finding a needle in a haystack the size of Texas.
4:03 Good to see nothing has changed - my 1988 Ford Escort Cosmopolitan (apparently now a rare, limited edition... for good reason, it was dire) suffered from water ingress to the tail light clusters - as did all Ford Escorts, you could see it when cars were signalling and the brake/sidelights joined in with the flashing. The difference was that when I was pulled over in the 90s and warned by a nice policeman it cost me around £20 for two new lamp units (the other one was on its last legs) and a small time to fit them and clean up the connectors.
As an engineer in the automotive industry and having worked with Ford, I can tell you, that you're exactly right that there is no one in either the tier 1 supplier or Ford rubbing their hands together, saying we're going to make this unrepairable, it is simply a bunch of managers, rubbing their hands together, saying, "how can we make our deadline" and that is really the only thing they care about. "Is it on budget, and is it on time?"
It’s actually insane simple rain water seeping into a taillight can KILL THE WHOLE VEHICLE. Like that’s beyond ridiculous
They're already pricing their trucks at 80,000$-100,000$ and still you have to spend another 35% of that price within the first 10 years on repairs.
I think that the designers do think about the lack of durability. I think they put research and development Into designing products with specific and predictable failures. They go out of the way to do this l it gives them Control over a product after it’s purchased they know exactly what, and when is gonna fail, and guarantee them more money. They definitely are aware of this unethical practice , and your are correct that it is considered to be the norm everywhere .
About professional devices...
There is a machine made by Kabmak which spins together ACSR overhead cables twice thicker than your thumb. Every part of it runs on the same Profibus network. Every VFD, the brake and clutch controllers, every PLC, even the ones running through bloody sliprings, spinning at 100rpm, there's like 20 devices on the network and if something goes offline the machine refuses to move an inch. I saw that the previous techs changed out cables of the wrong impedance to get it to work. That machine is good but I really question some decisions inside of it. And you will see this more and more as it's easier to make independant modules that work on a bus
imagine going offroad middle of nowhere, and having this happening to you, and the compony tells how dare u go off road with a offroad vehicle
Then they wonder why all the off-roading guys just buy an old Toyota truck that can be repaired with a paperclip and duct tape.
@@jjay350 A complete overhaul for $10k on top of a $15k 20 year old truck is still a LOT cheaper than a new truck that will probably be less reliable. I'm looking around for a diesel pickup in the 20-30 year old bracket and prices just keep going up. You used to be able to find clapped out trucks for next to nothing, but now even shitboxes are commanding several thousand.
@@treelineresearch3387 Yeah I think the awful state of new cars has made people slowly wise up to how much better older cars were.
@@jjay350
All praise the Hilux
To make matters worse, try finding a technician that could actually find these issues, they're few and far in between (just finding a good mechanic is already difficult). There have been times where I would have to bring out an oscilloscope just to find an obscure issue, like the brake pedal sensor causing an intermittent short that keeps the engine from starting or stalls engine and the only code (or odd data) is the crank position sensor. Now imagine trying to convince a customer to pay for the time for troubleshooting that...hurts the tech and the customer.
When it comes to electronics and sensors even techs don't want to deal with it because the return on their work is not worth it. Can't say I blame them.
The fact that the tail light isn’t adequately sealed for water ingress feels like a colosal oversight for any car manufacturer, but especially for a truck that is designed with the harsh conditions of off-roading in mind
"harsh conditions of off-roading in mind"
are these really or just marketed that way to people who never do ?
@@autohmae ford marketing. I’m aware that 90 percent of f150s are pavement princesses. But if ford is gonna market it for off roading it had better be able to handle it without significant problems. Of course in my opinion you should get a Toyota if you want a truck you can rely on
@@crispyjokingtuna1495 ahh, yes, the quintessential American brand Toyota ;-) (seriously, they are actually a very interesting company, they wrote the rest of the whole library after Henry Ford wrote the book on mass production)
I was following that ford repair channel before even knew this youtube channel. I susvribed there because of my Ford fusion 2010 and learned a lot how to maintain it
Even more sickening is they would rather rip off the customer than rip open every module & replace the blown canbus transceivers. Also why don't they have better protection against voltage transients?
That is fine until you cannot buy the part from Mouser...
@@rkan2 Why did they neglect trailing edge semiconductor manufacturing so much? That in itself should have been an obvious national security matter.
@@spikester The manufacturing and not evem the distribution is the issue. The issue is exclusivity deals between the IC source and the manufacturers of the actual device manufacturer.
@@rkan2 Suggest you read up on the viabilities of maintaining 30yo fab equipment that was making pentium 3's in the 90s, doesn't help much of that equipment to produce jellybean parts was sold off & relocated elsewhere.
The customer accepted their level of responsibility. They chose to buy an up-market, bleeding edge product. They knew those rear taillights had a radar module in them. It just slipped their mind. Understandable. I had seen his video when it came out. It was mind blowing. But, at the end of the day the customer had a repaired truck that's worth a lot more than 6k. Maybe they sell it now, and get something lower tech. Potentially any component in the CAN BUS circuit could disable the vehicle, meaning basically a million things. That's why the customer was so thrilled just to get it fixed after the dealer couldn't figure it out. These independent technicians, and that's what they are, can make good money as a hired guns, solving these hard to solve problems. Kudos to him.
oh man just wait til he finds out about the 8000$ tailgate on GM trucks. more importantly would be pay for warranty work, mechanics get destroyed by that system. as if normal mechanic pay isnt bad enough
8000!? I'm going to hang on to my old F150 until the wheels fall off lol
Explain please?
@@ihavenonamek733 the 8000$ tailgate is the option that has all the motors and sections built in.
the warranty pay, i have to explain mechanic pay first. so normal mechanic pay, they have a website that tells them how long that job is supposed to take. lets say the website says the part takes 4hrs to replace, that mechanic gets paid 4hrs to do that. if it takes him 2hrs, great he banks 2hrs. if things are rusted or REALLY bad, and it takes more like 6hrs, he still only gets paid 4hrs so he has to eat the 2 extra it took him. effectively working for free.
well warranty work is a similar system, but different. it works the same way but according to that, they get way less. a 12hr job for normal work is easily more like 4-6hrs, and it works the same way where if it takes them longer than that 4-6, they just have to work for free on the rest of it.
that's why mechanics hate warranty work, they effectively work for free while having to maintain 30k worth of tools when they could be getting their normal pay that already isnt that great considering their high expenses.
so glad you did a vidoe on this... I left a comment for people to look up your work on Right to Repair before "we own nothing and are happy"
Vehicles are only engineered to last 10-15 years at most. Eric O has vehicles on his channel all the time that are basically totaled by modules either being prohibitively expensive to replace or impossible to source.
I believe that number is closer to 3 - 5 years because statistically most people don't keep their cars much longer than that before they trade or re-lease.
The lifespan is getting shorter and shorter the newer cars get, especially if you live in a climate where salt and that new chloride (or whatever it is) road spray is used... it rots away cars so quickly.
@@LateNightModels Which is nuts when 84 month loans are a thing.
I’ve been a mechanic for 30 years and auto repair has been for awhile been becoming non sensical . But it’s reached another whole level with much more coming . It’s getting where you can’t replace common parts without the equipment and most importantly the access to manufacturers data support to just recognize the new part even though it’s the same part and does the same thing
New cars are not only making people become poor but keeping them poor too.
I agree that maybe we should create the job of: "Repairability Concierge" who has an overview of the design and integration process, and reviews the resulting end-product.
I work in a rather large high-tech, multi-national corporation where the IT department pleased the management by cutting a few jobs who had the responsibility of coordinating all the operating system patches for compatibility with the corporate standard computers and applications. Alas, the result was that 87,000 end users were then stuck with each diagnosing and resolving their own compatibility problems. (Instead of doing the jobs they were paid for.) The end-result was that it cost the corporation several times more that it would have cost to retain that one person. But there is nobody left in that management position to look at the larger, cross-department situation.
If Ford/GM/Chrysler wanted reliability they would make cars reliable. They have been making cars for over 20 years a monkey can make things more reliable if he had 20 years experience in building something. They just want to give you junk and keep you spending on repairs.
Yep, I have seen this on headlights as well. They are connected to the CAN Bus for some advanced form of auto high beam. But you get a little bit of water and cause a short the CAN network just crashes.
I don’t know if it is still the case but you have been able to buy temporary access to workshop manuals from ford. But increasingly the wiring diagrams stop at the modules themselves and no schematics for the modules themselves. So not always useful.
Not only is the F150 5K to fix ,it was about 78K to 100K to buy it in the first place.
And you need it mostly for your self image. Trucks doing real work are older, or smaller, or un-american.
@@RatPfink66 Thanks for the joke!
@@litoaykiu How is that a joke? I'd own a Toyota over a Ford any day of the week lol F150's are a joke. Same with Dodge Rams.
@@MG-im8ku I understand that every owner wants to feel like they made an intelligent choice! Facts do not correspond to feelings!
At the end of the day your feelings can’t beat statistics!
But have fun in your Toyota it such an amazing feeling!
@litoaykiu is that why Asian vehicles last much longer and easier to maintain than American? And they don't devalue anywhere near as fast as American cars? I've had both American and Asian cars. Multiple of each. The American cars never compared when it came to reliability and resale value. Have fun in your American F150 that can't handle being in the rain from the sounds of it lol
A lot of people don't even think about how this would affect your rising insurance rates: a simple backing up into another vehicle in a parking lot would be covered by insurance. Except now its a $5000 tail light, $4000 bump, $3000 in sensors, $2000 in computer calibration, then installation of the above. A simple fender bender in a parking lot can easily be $10,000+ and insurance contractually has to pay that for minor damages.
Ford parts guy here: when these taillights were first released we were dying laughing at what the prices were like…until we realized Ford was being serious.
I haven't seen one of your videos in a long time sir. Glad you finally got out of NY. Good stuff as always!
Fordtechmakuloco helped me save my shitty 5.4 3 valve! He's the goat!
That same truck ended up back at the same shop that figured out the problem with the tail lights causing the issue. it was for the driver seat not working right. turned out broken wire from them being too short from the factory because it doesn't allow movement but when they are lumbar seats and they are designed to move they eventually pull out/break off the wires. it was a cheap fix this time but right after the tail lights and not knowing it was related or not can get frustrating for sure especially since if the factory would have put an extra few inches of wire on them so the units can move would have solved the problem. so many problems with these newer vehicle i hear from people that buy them I am glad I stuck to my older stuff that I know how to fix myself.
What a ridiculous design. What was wrong with a relay and some wire and a few LED's?
A bunch of things: legal requirements, emf standards, manufacturing guidelines etc. Car lighting is one of the most complicated things on any vehicle.
I do automotive Electrical repairs on my channel as well, there is nothing wrong with simple relays and fuses, I fell the previous tech was superior in real world use than current.. most of this stuff is completely unnecessary but it's good for business..
I been watching your chanel for a minute and i love and have a lot of respect for what you do and represent, i wish i could tell you that im a supporter but i can baerlly keep up with my bills, that been said after watching what you deal with when it comes to the manifactures its hard to belive that you don't think that this people are not doing this engeniring puzzels unporpes not only to go after your money as it is the way people like you earn a living but also milk us the consumer out of every penie that they can, i AM almost 100% sure that most of this manufactures would charge us twice for the same product if they were allow too.
Right to repair isn't just about the right to repair your own devices, it's the result of a global mindset of unsustainability.
I have watched that video, Brian is a true and honest professional. I had a thought about those taillight assemblies being full of water. Does this customer own a boat and trailer and did he submerge the back end of the truck launching the boat? It’s possible.
Ill never own a new car.
Buy an older car
I have been speculating lately about collision repair, especially in the context to the Tessla gigapress. If the damage moves a critical mounting point the vehicle could, (would?), be totaled.
I have been rearended several times, five grand for a tail light is wow. My dad had the tail lights stolen off of his 1959 Cadillac, his insurance paid for them with the caveat that they would NOT do it again!
There used to be a time when modules (and vehicles)were tested in aggressive environments for durability.
"BUILT FORD TOUGH" used to be a mantra to assure the New Owner that his new F150 was going to withstand going thru Hell and still run,or not leave the poor schlub stranded in BFE. Ease of repair was also a strong selling point,'cause,who wants to drive a Lamborghini on the farm? LOL
Many farmers in Mid Missouri are seeking out the "Old Iron" because technology,forced upon us by Government,Big Tech,or even Nefarious,just doesn't need to belong in Heavy Duty Work Vehicles.
Kudos,Louis,for also reporting on the Ford Fiasco!
The odd thing, other than the taillight not properly sealed, is that the connectors are terrible.
The mechanic said that where the wires go into the connector is sealed. But apparently the connectors themselves don't seal between each other. And that's the part where it went sideways and corroded the pins to the point of 'destroying' the harness and modules.
And as Louis said, it probably is made difficult to get / replace module side connectors to replace the corroded ones.
On top of all that... the pigtail (connector and a couple of inches of wire) was more expensive than the entire harnas that connects the 2 taillights to the rest of the truck.
CAN bus transceivers are differential-mode by design. They're supposed to survive a direct short to +12V on the data pins (the chip will of course not work in these conditions, but it won't fry the whole board and your computer module will work again once the fault is removed).
I'm in college for automotive technology. last year we were being taught how to use voltage drop. by placing the leads of a multimeter on both sides of the harness and checking the voltage while the component is running you will be able to tell if excess voltage resistance is in the wire on higher gauge wires like a starter. our teacher had us work on a Ford with a windshield washer pump. after testing the wiring everything was good. The teacher revealed that ford has their relays that activate other devices soldered directly to the bcm or pcm of the vehicle. when a relay goes out you replace the entire bcm. Side note a student was working on the school's ford f-150. they were disabling the fuel pump to test the starter. the student found the fuel pump relay. he managed to pull it out. cars are getting filled with alot of computers now. Even a Ford maverick with its lower price has I think about 20 -30 individual.
In comparison, I have a 25 year old Chevy truck and the "module" that the light bulbs mount to in the tail light failed due to heat and age. Both sides shipped to me from Rock Auto were about $20 total. The lenses are fine, but they are pretty cheap and easily found.
I was at a body shop the other day (Im a subcontractor and am always in different shops) and they had to calibrate or link (I'm not sure the term) headlights to the computer on an Audi, and calibrate the sensors. Apparently, the headlights send a code to the ECU so you can't just replace a headlight with another. The job of calibration was 2,000. That's not the headlight cost, bumper and painting, that's just the cost of calibrating the headlight to the computer and other sensors so that the car will drive properly. Fender benders on modern cars frequently cost 8 to 10k per car.
Wow, I came across that video last week! Like you said, there are so many points of failure in this on the product side, but to me it does start to feel like its malicious. The extra functionality is great, but I wonder if the owner would option their truck the same way after experiencing this mess.
There's no good reason the obstacle sensor would be integrated into the tail light. Those should be two separate and discrete modules. The only reasons otherwise are to save Ford a few dollars per truck or to promote planned obsolescence.
Had a similar problem with my 1969 Chevy C10.
Nice light sensor at the Safeway parking lot told me my taillight was out.
Drove down the street to O'Reilly auto parts and for $1.75 got two replacement bulbs.
Cleaned the bulb socket and sealed the gasket.
That was probably 10 years ago and the light works fine.
Neighbor swapped wheels from another car with better tread to go on a road trip.
Car went into limp mode (15mph) because the computer didn't recognize the tire air pressure sensors...wow!
Hey man thanks for the insane amount of work you do for us🙏
Just opt out of the radar in the tail light, when those came out I knew they were insanely expensive. Still have my 2004 F150 4.6L V8 running strong. But those 5.0 coyotes are fast
My suv transmission went into limp home mode because i changed the tail light bulb with a non OEM bulb. It was great to have to take it to a dealer and get a rental car before work for this.
I just leased a new 2024 CRV hybrid. I love it. Wonderful to drive, perfect size for our shrinking family ( adult kids ) amazing fuel millage and range. We bought extra insurance (surprisingly cheap) to cover us fully for the duration. The thought of having to pay for a repair on what is basically a supercomputer on wheels with half a million sensors makes me sweat. I will never own a new car. I can just hand this one in and move on. My second vehicle is going to be a square body with a small block. Hard to find a good one, but at least I can fix that on my driveway. Worth the search.
Currently working through what seems a very similar issue with a 2020 Kia Niro PHEV. Looks like the heavy rain this week caused an electrical system failure
I see a lot of the new cars and trucks with water bobbing around in one or both tail lights. Wow, are they going to have a bad day.... Thx for sharing
I’m an automotive tech I can tell you that ford has pigtails for alsorts of things but the kick is that most techs or parts departments would rather buy the pigtails then figure out how to use Digikey to look up pins and connectors. I’m currently an upfitter and have become custom to the use of Digikey mouser and even newegg for parts that I use.
You know what keeps up with the test of time Louis, analog audio gear!
I can guarantee those lamps are manufactured to be waterproof. A sample of each batch is tested by dunking them in a bathtub and then verifying they still work. If the lamp was a leaker then it was either cracked by the user or manufacturing defect; so please don't say "they weren't made to be liquid proof"... They absolutely were. Also the object detection modules are supposed to be serviceable (they are only screwed in place) so I'm a little surprised there were issues finding them.
Just discovered your channel and already I have seen some great videos like this one, and the "Tesla camera - on in the garage" one. I look forward to checking out more of your videos. Thanks for making them!!!
I've only had one Ford vehicle (Ford Escape) and it was a nightmare. Constantly breaking down. One example is I needed a new carburetor and when a friend of mine who knew cars tried helping he explained that most cars put the carburetor in a place that is extremely easy to access and take out if need replaced, but not this one. You basically had to take the whole engine out in order to access the part. Got a RAV4 now and have literally had zero issues for years.
You mean throttle body? There's no carburetor on cars since the 90s.
No, Ford escape in the history of Ford escapes has ever had a carburetor installed on it! You dummy!
A carbureted Ford Escape? You had a 1-off limited special edition, my friend!
No such thing happened bro lol😂
@@baldisaerodynamic9692 Yeah it did I was there bro lol 😂
I was quoted just under 2k to fix the A/C compressor in my 2012 Chevy Cruze. It requires a whole new kit to be installed and recharged, oh it also counted the replacement of the hoses from my radiator busting and spewing transmission fluid all over the highway which made me actually bring it in.
This quote was after the mechanics recharged my AC free of charge with a dye to test for leaks and replaced a blown fuse.
A more "reknown" mechanic (looking at you Christian Brothers), wanted to charge me 5k just for the compressor alone.
All of that pales in comparison to this.
I think one of the major issues with cars now is that they’re designed to sell in the showroom, rather than be used, so there’s an imperative to get as many features in as cheaply as possible, and damn how well it functions post-warranty. It’s also how you wind up with touchscreens rather than physical controls, and stylized instrument displays, which look great and are easy when stopped but almost unusable (at least safely) on the move.
On the issue of lack of one person having oversight on how stuff works, counterintuitively I sometimes wonder if it isn’t an issue of being /too/ well resourced. I remember reading an article on the development of the MQ-28 Ghost Bat. One thing noted by the Americans involved was that, because the Australian teams were used to working with much fewer resources, everyone involved was used to doing everything. So, everyone had an at least passing knowledge how the whole system worked so development went faster and smoother, rather than having dedicated component teams doing their own thing in isolation.
As someone who went through school to be a mechanic. Yes car companies 100% on purpose have been designing their cars every decade to more and more phase out repairability.
Same as tech, they do not want independents fixing vehicles. They want all the business in their own ecosystem. Either charging 10x more at a dealer, for just dropping in entire systems instead of repairing anything anymore. Or just manufactured planned obsolescence so you'll buy/lease a new one.
It's honestly sadly why I quit pursuing being an auto mechanic.
I didn't join the field to be a tech repairman who worked on cars, I joined to be a mechanic.
Thanks for posting, was thinking about getting an f150, now I know to get an older cheaper to maintain truck.
It's an overwhelming cockiness to not consider that your design is going to fail and how that will happen
I recently bought a new car and was shocked at repair costs as well as how impossible it is to fix anything on your own. If I would have known, I would have bought a bike.
I bought an older one because even with it's repairs its still cheaper imo. Worse case scenario I junk it and still didn't lose too much.
You put this together really nicely and makes me wonder that Mercedes May be doing a better job at their can bus systems than other manufacturers. Sure their modules are very expensive and sensitive to impacts but you don’t see one module affecting others quite often at least that has been my experience so far.